Demonstrations in solidarity with the ongoing Kobanê resistance against ISIS gangs are continuing across North Kurdistan, Turkey, Europe and the world as Kurds anddemocratic circles defending human rights poured into the streets calling for urgent action worldwide to prevent a probable massacre against thousands of people still living in the besieged town.

In New York City’s Union Square, supporters gathered to show their solidarity with the Kobanê resistance and the Kurdish liberation movement. The action was endorsed and organized by the Organization for a Free Society (OFS), New Communist Party - Liaison Committee (NPC-LC), Gezi Platform NYC, and Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee (RSCC). Organizations within the Kurdish liberation movement have called for actions in solidarity with the people of Kobanê and their project of establishing Democratic Autonomy. We were answering this call.

A common theme expressed by various speakers was that the fall of Kobanê would not only be a loss for the Kurdish liberation movement, but a blow to the struggle for people's democracy and freedom in the region. As one Kurdish woman said, “The struggle of Kobanê is not just a struggle of the Kurds. It is a struggle for all of humanity.” Indeed, the resistance in Kobanê is defending the frontlines of a broader democratic revolution in Kurdistan that could set an example for the Middle East and beyond, including being a model for oppressed nations within the US.

Other speakers pointed out that it is because of this revolutionary democratic example--which is anti-capitalist, feminist, nonsectarian, and values ecology--that Kobanê is under attack by ISIS, and why it is being abandoned by the imperialist powers. Furthermore, it was stated that as it stands, the US government, Turkey, and international community are complicit in a possible genocide.

The action also highlighted that a major obstacle to supporting the YPG and YPJ, the only forces successfully resisting ISIS, is their relationship with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, and Turkey. This classification has only criminalized the Kurdish liberation movement, and continues to be a barrier to justice. Therefore, we joined the call to lift the ban on the PKK, and to allow the YPG and YPJ to use all available means to defend the people of Kobanê and defeat the ISIS fascists. The latter requires opening an Aid Corridor to transport needed materials, such as arms and medical supplies.

This was not the first solidarity action in NYC, and the people that attended committed to it not being the last. Additionally, some kind of Kurdish liberation solidarity network is now in formation, with the goal of building further support for Kobanê, Rojava, and the entire movement, demonstrating that Kobanê is not alone.